Stacy Nelson-Heising was a professional chef before operating her own orchard, cidery, and restaurant on her family’s fourth-generation farm near Ayr, about 20 miles northeast of Tower City. These apple-forward recipes are perfect for winter and trust us, Stacy’s apple cranberry crisp belongs on your table!

Recipes by Stacy Nelson-Heising, Cottonwood Farm and Cider House

Apple cranberry crisp

Ingredients:

Fruit base:

• 2 Cups fresh cranberries
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1 Cup hard cider, such as Cottonwood Cider House’s “The Action,” cranberry or apple juice
• 4-5 Pounds room-temperature apples, about 12-15*
• ¼ Cup flour
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ Cup sugar

Oat crumble topping:

• 1 Cup regular old-fashioned oats
• 1 Cup flour
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ Cup room-temperature butter

Preparation:

• Combine cranberries, 1 cup of sugar, and hard cider over medium heat. Cook mixture until cranberries begin to burst and thicken a bit, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350° F. Peel, core, and dice apples. Toss apples with flour, cinnamon, ½ cup sugar, and cranberry mixture. Pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Stir, then bake for an additional 15 minutes.
• While the apple-cranberry mixture is baking, prepare the topping. Combine all topping ingredients together, mixing until crumbly. Put on top of pre-baked fruit. Bake an additional 20-30 minutes until the topping is browned and crispy. Serve warm or at room temperature with real whipped cream or ice cream.

* Try Haralson, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith varieties.